Published: Friday, March 1, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 5:02 p.m.

He said it was a cold Sunday morning when he stood behind a makeshift pulpit and preached a sermon to about 16 people who sat in folding chairs around a kerosene heater.

"A lot of people who I wasn't even expecting showed up," said the pastor, whose church is now in its own building on Highway 221. "We had several people and a piano player. We had a wonderful time."

A few weeks ago, as Cannon, 56, lay motionless in a hospital bed at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, he was reminded of that first service.

He said about 20 church members, including his wife, Susan, and two daughters, Paige and Charity, packed into his small hospital room.

Cannon didn't preach behind a pulpit that day; with Guillain-Barre syndrome he's unable to move his body. Instead, his church family ministered to him by singing hymns and offering prayer and support.

"I didn't preach. I just enjoyed their company," Cannon said on a recent Friday.

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare condition in which a person's own immune system damages his nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It affects about one person out of every 100,000, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Cannon said he noticed something was wrong a few weeks before his diagnosis. He had what he describes as the worst cough ever, and it would not go away.

"I got a terrible upper-respiratory infection. I went to the doctor several times and went to the hospital twice," he said.

On that recent Friday, he sat in a wheelchair, which he was hoisted into by hospital staff. He can move his mouth and form words, but he can't move anything below his neck.

"The last time I went to the doctor, he couldn't figure it out, and I said, "I know I'm sick, I know I'm real sick. There is something wrong,' " Cannon said.

After going to the hospital again, he finally got the diagnosis and was admitted on Oct. 17.

Susan Cannon, sitting by her husband's side, said her husband was paralyzed within days. He spent two months in the intensive care unit.

"It was all of a sudden," she said. "It all happened so fast. The last four months (in the hospital) have been a fog."

Fortunately for Danny, most people with the condition recover completely within months or years.

He has to undergo occupational and physical therapy every day, to rebuild his strength.

His church family misses him, too. The Rev. Kevin Loftis, associate pastor of Manna Baptist, and Dr. Bo Wagner, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, organized a revival service this week to raise money for the ailing minister. The final revival service is at 7 tonight at Manna Baptist.

"This means so much to me," Cannon said with a smile. "I thank God for my church. I've been pastor there for 28 years, and God has been so good. I have the most wonderful church family anyone could ever have."

When he gets better and gets back behind the pulpit, he expects to be a better minister.

"I know that the Lord is going to use this in a great way for a great testimony for his glory," Cannon said. "It will make me more sympathetic to people who hurt. It will change my compassion with people on a one-to-one basis."

<p>Danny Cannon started Manna Baptist Church in his garage 28 years ago.</p><p>He said it was a cold Sunday morning when he stood behind a makeshift pulpit and preached a sermon to about 16 people who sat in folding chairs around a kerosene heater.</p><p>"A lot of people who I wasn't even expecting showed up," said the pastor, whose church is now in its own building on Highway 221. "We had several people and a piano player. We had a wonderful time."</p><p>A few weeks ago, as Cannon, 56, lay motionless in a hospital bed at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, he was reminded of that first service.</p><p>He said about 20 church members, including his wife, Susan, and two daughters, Paige and Charity, packed into his small hospital room.</p><p>Cannon didn't preach behind a pulpit that day; with Guillain-Barre syndrome he's unable to move his body. Instead, his church family ministered to him by singing hymns and offering prayer and support.</p><p>"I didn't preach. I just enjoyed their company," Cannon said on a recent Friday. </p><p>Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare condition in which a person's own immune system damages his nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It affects about one person out of every 100,000, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.</p><p>Cannon said he noticed something was wrong a few weeks before his diagnosis. He had what he describes as the worst cough ever, and it would not go away.</p><p>"I got a terrible upper-respiratory infection. I went to the doctor several times and went to the hospital twice," he said. </p><p>On that recent Friday, he sat in a wheelchair, which he was hoisted into by hospital staff. He can move his mouth and form words, but he can't move anything below his neck. </p><p>"The last time I went to the doctor, he couldn't figure it out, and I said, "I know I'm sick, I know I'm real sick. There is something wrong,' " Cannon said.</p><p>After going to the hospital again, he finally got the diagnosis and was admitted on Oct. 17.</p><p>Susan Cannon, sitting by her husband's side, said her husband was paralyzed within days. He spent two months in the intensive care unit.</p><p>"It was all of a sudden," she said. "It all happened so fast. The last four months (in the hospital) have been a fog."</p><p>Fortunately for Danny, most people with the condition recover completely within months or years.</p><p>He has to undergo occupational and physical therapy every day, to rebuild his strength. </p><p>"It's a long recovery process," Danny Cannon said. "And I miss my church."</p><p>His church family misses him, too. The Rev. Kevin Loftis, associate pastor of Manna Baptist, and Dr. Bo Wagner, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, organized a revival service this week to raise money for the ailing minister. The final revival service is at 7 tonight at Manna Baptist.</p><p>"This means so much to me," Cannon said with a smile. "I thank God for my church. I've been pastor there for 28 years, and God has been so good. I have the most wonderful church family anyone could ever have."</p><p>When he gets better and gets back behind the pulpit, he expects to be a better minister.</p><p>"I know that the Lord is going to use this in a great way for a great testimony for his glory," Cannon said. "It will make me more sympathetic to people who hurt. It will change my compassion with people on a one-to-one basis."</p>